Manufacture of soles for boots or shoes.



No. 788,159. PATENTED AR. 25, 1905. A. L T. LEADBBATER.

MANUFAOTURB OF SOLES POR BOOTS OR SHOES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 9, 1904.

fcfNiT'en STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT FFic ALFRED LEA'DBEATER AND TORI LEADBEA'IER, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND,ASSIGNORS TO THE ELBEEGEE SYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ACORPORATION OF ENGLAND.

NIANUFACTURE OF SOLES FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,159, dated April25, 1905. Application led May 9,1904. Serial Ne. 207,101.

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Be it known that we, ALFRED LnADnnaTnP., residing at 3 IIessle'Ierrace,Brudenell Road. and Ton Liel-mmil-vrlnz, residing at Fail-leigh,Shaftesbury avenue, Roundhay, Leeds, in the county of York and Kingdomof England, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in or Relating tothe Manufacture ofSoles for Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of making soles for boots andshoesesueh, for instance, as those described in the specification ofLetters Iatent granted to the said Tom Leadbeater ou the 20th day ofAugust, 1901, No. 680,568. The detachable sole therein described andillustrated consists of an outer layer (termed the outer sole,) ofleather onto which is built a projecting rim and inturned overhangingflange to form an internal recess. A projecting ledge on the middle sole(which is built up in one or more layers) is adapted to slide or bedrawn into the said internal recess. The middle sole before it issecurely fastened to the upper is first shaped to the exact contour ofthe outer sole.

Now the object of the present invention is to provide a method wherebythe above-inentioned projecting rim and inturned overhanging flange ofthe outer sole and the projecting ledge of the middle sole are formedout of their respective layers in such a manner that there will be aminimum loss of material, with a certainty of the parts when placedtogether accuratelyY fitting or meshing with each other.

In the drawings hereunto annexed, Figure l is a longitudinal section,and Fig. 2 a plan, of the outer sole. Figs. 3 and I are respectivelyplans of the two portions of the middle sole. Figs. 5 and G arerespectively transverse sections on line A A, Fig. 3, and B B, Fig. I.Fig. 'T is a sectional elevation of the sole with its layers placed oneupon the other ready for being sewed together. Fig. 8 is a plan of same.Fig. 9 is a plan of the two portions of the middle sole detached `fromthe outer sole after the sewing operation has taken place. Fig. l() is atransverse section on line O O, Fig. S). Fig. 1I is a part plan of theouter sole with inturned flange attached thereto. Figs. 'l2 and 13 arerespectively a transverse section on line D I) and a longitudinalsection on line E E, Fig. II; and Fig. 14 is a sectional elevation of aportion of a boot with a removable heel and with the herein-deseribedimproved detachable sole applied.

In the drawings hereunto annexed the middle and outer soles are shown(for example only) formed of three layers-namely, the outer sole oflayer u and the middle sole of two layers 7; c. The whole of the threeparts are at first cut externally in the usual manner of the same sizeand to the required shape of the outer sole (i. The outer sole u isprovided with an opening (l, Figs. l and 2, to form a loop 3 of asuitable depth from the perimeter of the heel, whereby that portion ofthe detachable sole may be passed over and around the heel, as well asto permit of a portion thereof passing' under the breast of the heel.The opening d is shaped to correspond with the contour of theheel-block.

Portions of the middle sole marked Fig. 3, and c, Fig. J1, arerespectively provided with a marginal cut or slit e, Fig. 3, and f, Fig.4, at a suitable distance from the perimeter of the vfore part of thesolenfthat is, the slits start at y, Fig. 2%, and Fig. I, at the waistof the sole and at a suitable distance from the breast portion z', Fig.2, of the opening of the heel, (when the three layers are together, asat Fig. 7,) and the slits are made to pass round the fore part of eachportion of the sole parallel, or nearly so, with the pe-I rimeter untila point is reached at the waist on the opposite side of each sole at j,Fig. 3, and Fig. a. The slit in layer is nearer to the perimeter thanthe slit in layer c. Atthe points where the slit f commences and endsadditional slits l fm, Fig. 4f, are provided atan angle thereto in layerc and made to extend for a portion of the distance from the firstnainedslit to the perimeter of the sole. The two last-named slits act asguides for subsequently severing' a recessed rim portion a from themiddle sole.

The three layers a c are placed together in consecutive order one uponthe other, as in Fig. 7, and are then secured in position by brads,rivets, clamps, or other means q, Fig. 8, while the three layers areafterward sewed with one or more lines of stitching' 0, Fig. 8,extending from line Z to line m at a suitable distance from theperimeter and between it and the slit e. A channel p, Fig. l, isprovided, if so desired, on the outer surface of layer a to receive thestitching and afterward closed in the usual manner. After layers a,

and c have been stitched together layer c is first divided from layer byprolonging the slits Z and m to the periphery, whereby two shoulders rr, Fig. 9, are formed in this layer, and by making' slits from g and jto the perimeter in layer two shoulders s s, Fig. 11, are thereby formedin that layer also. The lastnamed cutting' permits the layers and c tobe completely drawn away (after removing temporary fastenings q) frombetween and out of the recessed rim which has thereby been formed on theouter sole. At the same time by allowing' the portion of the layerWithin the boundary of the slit e to project beyond the boundary of theportion of the layer c within the slit f, as shown at t, Figs. 9 and l0,a projection is formed, which will pass within recesses a u, Fig. 12, ofthe projecting flange or rim n. 1t will readily be understood that theiiange n and the wall of the recess u, Fig'. 12, are formed,respectively, out of the portions of the layers @,forming the middlesole, that lie between the slits @fand the periphery of the sole andwhich have been sewed to the layer a. By sewing these portions to thelayer a and afterward cutting and separating the rim portions of the twolayers as described the said portions sewed to the layer t form a recesswith an overhanging flange that will accurately envelop the projecting'portion of the layer L and will lit into the recess formed on the topthereof, as shown at 1U, Fig. 10.

The rear portions of layers b and 0 are attached together and to theupper by any convenient means. The two layers 6 c when fastened to theupper of the boot in any convenient or usual manner in the relativeposition described will have layer c, which is narrowest, across thefore part, next to the upper of the boot and its insole. Layer thenfollows, and the effect of the slit at e gj, previously made, will be toform a recess y, Fig. 10, round the edge or perimeter of the fore partof it between the shoulders r a', while the corresponding slit on thelayer c will form a rabbet or recess round its edge between theshoulders s s, leaving a ledge to project between the same limits.

The parts n o of the layers c of leather left stitched or secured on theouter sole a when the two main portions of the said layers are cut anddrawn away will be in the form of an upwardly-projecting rim, Figs. 12and 13, thereby providing an internal recess u and an inturned oroverhanging liange. As these parts previously formed the edges of themiddle sole, so will the middle and outer soles now exactly lit ontoeach other when they are drawn together without any further fitting'.

To reduce the strain on the toe portions of the detachable sole when inuse and also to support the stitching around the same, a piece of thinmetal zu, (shown in dotted lines at Fig. 3,) shaped to the contour ofthe toe, is preferably fixed to layer b by nails or rivets w'. The metalplate w, which is curved at its front to suit boots with narrow toes andat its rear portion to suit boots with broad toes, is provided withserrated edges on such portions which are allowed to overhang or projectbeyond the perimeter of the toe portion of said layer. When the threeportions of the sole are placed together, the serrations are made toenter the wall u of the recess and flanged rim f/t, fixed to the outersole a, thereby preventing' any movement of the portions of the soletaking place at the toe and removing any undue strain on the inturnedflange of the rim and on the layer b, to which it is fixed.

In Fig. 14, al is the upper of a boot (or shoe) lasted to an inner sole.a in the usual manner. The layers and c, as shown at Fig. 9, are thenattached to the lasted upper by stitching or screws in the usual manner,the layer 7) being provided with a anged and recessed heelblock 1. Theheel-block receives a removable heel 2, having a recess and inturnedflange adapted to lit into the liange and recess of the said heel-block.The loop 3 of the portion a, of the detachable sole having been pressedover the heel-block prevents the detachable sole working out of theposition, and the loop itself is kept around the heel-block by thcremovable heel. A screw 17 is made to pass from the inside of the boot(or shoe) for securing the heel in position on the heel-block.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, the method of forming a solehaving a detachable outer portion which consists in cutting marginalslits in the fore parts of two layers forming the middle sole,superposing said layers upon the outer sole, connecting the severedmarginal portions of said layers to the outer sole to form a liangethereon, and then separating the two layers forming the middle sole fromthe said marginal portions, whereby a flange is formed on the removableouter sole conforming to the fore part of the middle sole.

2. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, the method of forming a solehaving a detachable outer portion, which consists in making marginalslits in the fore part of two layers IOO 'forming the middle sole, theslit in the upper layer being Vfarther Yfrom the periphery of the solethan the slit in the lower layer, superposing said layers upon the outersole, connecting the severed marginal portions of the middle sole withthe outer sole to form a retaining-tlange thereon, and linallyseparating` the body portions ot' the middle sole from the said marginalportions thereof, whereby the outer sole is formed with an undercuttlange conforming to the contour of the middle sole.

3. ln the manufaetuie of boots and shoes, the method ot' forming a solehaving' a detachable outer portion, which consists in cutting severallayers of material to the same external shape, forming marginal slits inthe fore parts ol' two layers constituting a middle sole, said slitsbeing at ditierent distances from the periphery, superposing the slittedlayers upon an outer sole, then temporarily connecting the said layers,then stitching the severed marginal portions of the middle sole to theouter sole, and then separating the body portions ot' the middle solefrom the severed marginal portions thereof.

4. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, the method of forming a solehaving a detachable outer portion, which consists in cutting marginalslits in the fore parts ot' two suitablyshaped layers of sole material,said slits being respectively at different distances from theperipheries ot'said layers,superposingsaid layers upon a third layer ofsaid material, stitching the severed marginal portions of thefirst-mentioned layers to the last-mentioned layer to form a flangethereon, and linally cutting' the body portions of the two lirst-namedlayers from the severed marginal portions, whereby the single layer isprovided with an undercut flange conforming to the Vfore parts of theother layers.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specilication inthe presence ot' the two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED LEADBEATER. TOM LEA DHEA ER fitnessesz NVILLIAM SADLnn, ANNIEPARK.

